Harry Potter and Fate's Favor
by Jrf Steel
Summary: Harry Potter is dead, but before he could be judged and cross over to the other side, Fate asks him for one little favor. Time-Travel, Powerful, maybe Super-Harry.


**Harry Potter and Fate's Favor**

Summary: Harry Potter is dead, but before he could be judged and cross over to the other side, Fate asked him for one little favor. The story starts in an alternate- universe, and then time travels to canon-verse, Powerful, maybe Super Harry.

**AN: I know you're probably wondering why I keep starting new stories, well I can't help it. I get story ideas in my head and if I don't get them out I would not be able to concentrate on other things in my life.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter **

If someone told Harry Potter that when he died he would end up in place that resembled the waiting room of a lawyer's office, he would have laughed in their face long and hard. He knew he was dead; there was no doubt about that. He remembered leading a group of mercenaries into the Swiss Alps to rescue a group of kidnapped children from a Dark Lord who called himself Loki.

Loki whose real name was Erwin Melcher was planning on starting his own version of Ragnarok with the sacrifice of fifty innocent kids. Harry led a team of ten of the best wizards money could buy. It was a simple plan, while Harry plowed straight ahead and took on Loki and his followers the rest of the team was tasked with getting the children out safely.

It was a long and hard fought battle but in the end Harry was the last one standing if only temporarily before he collapsed from a combination of blood loss and magical exhaustion. He could remember sitting with his back against a stone pillar, his wand in his right hand and a bloody dagger in the other. As he sat there, his vision fading around the edges, a bear Patronus arrived in front of him, in the deep bass voice of the only American wizard in the group it said

"Commander Potter, all hostages are accounted for and unharmed"

With that one sentence, Harry stopped fighting the encroaching darkness, he set his wand and dagger at his sides and a smile stretched itself across Harrys face.

"Harry Potter, your next"

Harry was jolted from his last moments of life; he eyed the woman who called his name. The name-plate on her desk said her name was Lindsey, she looked like she was just under 80 years old but when she stood up to open the door for him, she moved with the grace of a ballerina, smooth measured steps.

As Harry approached the large oak door he managed to read the name _Fate_ in silver lettering before it swung open. He stepped over the thresh hold and paused just inside the door, the inside was very…rugged. There were a lot of wood furnishings and animal skins on the wall and floor, and books lining just about every available wall space. Sitting behind a large oak desk in what looked like a very expensive blue pinstripe suit was a man who looked to be somewhere in his 40s, with combed brown hair, silver framed rectangular glasses perched on his nose and a neutral expression his face.

He didn't say anything as Harry took the time to study his surroundings, and when harry finally approached him he stood and stretched out his hand with a small professional smile. When he stood up he matched Harrys 6'2 height, he had an athletic build and when Harry was close enough he saw that the man had all white eyes, no pupil, no cornea just all white eyes.

"Mr. Potter, please have a seat and make your-self comfortable, we have something very important to discuss and it may take a while" he had rasping quality to his voice that sounded like he had a cold or he had just woken up. "My name is Fate"

"Thank you Mr. Fate, before we begin, may I ask a question?" Harry said.

"Of course Mr. Potter, I will do my best to answer all your questions"

"I am dead right? I'm not currently hooked up to any machines dreaming up my own world am I?" Harry asked cautiously.

"Yes Mr. Potter, you're dead"

"Okay" Harry said calmly already coming to that conclusion "where am I and who exactly are you Mr. Fate?"

"Just call me Fate, I'm not one for a lot of honorifics" he said as he reached into his desk and pulled out a thick file and sat it in front of him unopened.

"Then call me Harry, please"

"Normally, when someone dies, they would go before whatever Deity they might worship to be judged, and then they would be sent to their final destination." Fate looked at Harry with his all white eyes "You, Harry are one of the special cases, you were born as a Child of Fate" he said with a slight smile "You were born marked as one of mine"

Harry knew his eyes were about to pop out of his head at that little revelation "Are you saying you're my father or something?"

"No, no, no Harry, more like a sponsor, you see I marked you to do great things, to change the world, and I have to say, you have done superbly and have gone beyond my expectations" he said now smiling like a proud father.

Harry shook his head to try and organize his thoughts "I don't understand, I was just a mercenary, what have I done that changed the world?"

Fate leaned forward on his arms still smiling "I'm glad you asked, on your last mission, there was a child, 7 years old by the name of Anthony Santorini, he was a little orphan child that no one ever took notice of, not even enough to know he was missing. While he was being kept hostage he made friends with another child Bethany Greyfaulk, Bethany as you know is the child of Bryan Greyfaulk the man that hired you and the rest of your team."

Fate waved his hand over his desk and a miniature model of a hill covered in snow appeared right on his blotter. "It was the snow ball effect Harry, after the rescue, young Bethany refused to be separated from Anthony. Mr. Greyfaulk, after learning that Anthony was an orphan and how he and his daughter bonded in captivity decided to take the child into his home." As Fate spoke Harry watched as a mini-Fate stood on top of the snow hill and rolled a snowball down it.

"As you know, Mr. Greyfaulk is a squib and so is his daughter, but Anthony turned out to be a very powerful wizard and just like young Bethany refused to be separated from Anthony he refused to be separated from her, because he refused to separate his magical life from his mundane, he crusade all over the world advocating the integration of both worlds."

Harry was kept his eye on the snow ball and as Fate spoke it kept getting bigger and bigger until it finally rolled onto Fate's desk and was the size of a basketball.

"When he was finally successful, science of the mundane world mixed with magic, and together they made an unstoppable force, disease and starvation are just the top of the list of things they were able to eradicate."

The snowball vanished and Harry looked at Fate completely dumbfounded _'all because of one little kid'_ Harry thought.

"It wasn't because of one little kid" Fate said "and no, while it is possible I could read your mind even with your strong _**Occlumency**_ shields, I didn't. You said that out loud, like I said it wasn't because of some little kid, he had a lot of help and it all started with you."

"Okay I'm beginning to understand, but that brings more questions, it seems as though I've done my job, so what else is there for me to do" Harry asked confused "Am I here to be judged?"

Fate took a deep breath and looked Harry square in the face "You are here Harry because I need a favor"

Harry thought he couldn't get any more confused than he already was, here he was Harry Potter, newly dead mercenary wizard and he was being asked a favor by Fate. What could he say to that "Uh"

"Are you familiar with the theory of multiple universes?" Fate asked

Harry's mind rebooted "I've read and watched enough sci-fi to get the gist of it."

"Good, then there is no need for me to explain it. The favor I need from you Harry is to go to another world were another Harry Potter is marked as a Child of Fate." Fate said grimly

"What is this other Harry Potter supposed to do?"

"He is supposed to vanquish a very powerful and evil Dark Lord by the name of Voldemort"

Harry's eyes widened in surprise "The same Voldemort that the Boy Who Lived, Neville Longbottom killed?"

"If you accept my offer _you_ will be known as the Boy Who Lived." Fate said "What you never knew was that even in the world you were born into there was a chance that you could have been the B.W.L"

Harry's face was in a perpetual state of shock at the moment.

"There was a prophecy even in your birth world that concerned the Voldemort and the person who would end his existence. _'The one with the power to vanquish the dark Lord approaches, born as the seventh month dies, to parents who have thrice defied him the Dark Lord will mark him his equal, he will have a power the Dark Lord knows not.' _That could have been you or Neville" Fate explained

"Voldemort was planning to kill you and Neville on that Halloween night, for whatever reason, he chose to go after Neville first and Neville was the one to survive the killing curse and to be mark as his equal." Fate continued solemnly "Your parents of course died in a Death Eater ambush 3 months later and that was when Sirius and Remus decided to leave England behind and raised you around the world until you went off to the Pendragon School of War Magic"

Harry stood up and began to pace around Fates office "If I accept what exactly are you expecting me to do?"

"Voldemort must die, that is the number one goal, he cannot be allowed to live under any circumstances" Fate said firmly. "Other than that, you are free to live this life however you want"

Harry sat back down and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees "I need details, if I accept, will I retain my memories, my skills, will I even know why I'm there?"

"Yes, yes and yes" Fate suddenly snapped his fingers, the world spun around Harry until he was standing in the center with five large four poster beds. He looked around and saw that Fate was standing slightly behind him and to the left. He also suddenly noticed the instead of looking Fate in the eye as he had done when they shook hands earlier he now had to look up at him.

He looked at his feet to see if he was standing in a hole or something and them gasped in surprise as he saw he had shrank considerably. He held his hands up and marveled at how his wrinkled 50 year hands now had the look of youth to them. He conjured a mirror and gasped when he saw his young face reflected back at him. "What in the world just happened?"

"This is the age you will be if you accept my offer" Fate said

When Harry dragged his eyes away from examining his body, he looked at Fate "Where are we?"

"Fourth year Gryffindor boy's dorm" Fate said simply "This was going to be the year that finally pushed _this _Harry Potter too far" Fate said as he turned toward a curtain covered bed and approached it. Harry followed behind Fate and as they approached the bed the curtains drew back on their own, and Harry looked down into a sleeping version of him-self. The sleeping Harry was tossing his head back and forth as if he was stuck in a bad dream and as he moved his hair shifted and a very visible lightning bolt shape scarred was displayed on his forehead.

The Harry from a different world touched his own head and found he now shared the same exact scar.

"That is supposedly the scar that marked him as Voldemorts equal" Fate said as he watched the Harry beside him rub the scar. "As I said before, you will retain your memories of everything and what you don't know about this world, you will absorb when the two of you become one"

"What did you mean he was pushed too far?"

"You've heard of the Tri-Wizard Tournament?" Fate asked, he got a nod as an answer "This Harry was entered against his will, in the after math of that his best friend, the boy in the next bed" Fate said and pointing at the next bed over, the curtains parted to reveal a gangly red headed boy sound asleep and snoring.

"He turned his back on Harry and so did most of the school, regardless of the animosity he felt, he still competed and he did pretty good, but at the end of the tournament he and another champion, Cedric Diggory, decided to share the prize which was a trophy, but the trophy was a trap. It portkeyed Harry and Cedric directly to Voldemort where Cedric was killed and Harry was tortured before he was used in a ritual to create another body for the shade of Voldemort to inhabit"

Fate sighed tiredly "After all he had been through, when Voldemort asked him to join in his crusade to purify the world of muggle-borns he gladly accepted. That's why you're here, if you do not accept, then this world will experience the Dark Ages and the Holocaust in tandem." Fate said fatalistically

"So all I have to do is make sure Voldemort dies and the rest of my life is mine to do with as I please?" Harry asked looking at his slumbering dopple-ganger.

"That is correct"

"Anything else I should know?"

"Yes, the most important thing is Voldemort is using Horcruxes" Fate said

Harry snapped his head around to look at Fate; Harry's face was the picture disgust.

"One resides in the scar upon your head" Fate continued "and there are others"

Knowing he was about to share the body with someone as evil and depraved as Voldemort was reported as being, Harry felt entirely unclean. "You said there were others"

"Yes, I was not allowed to know what they are or where there are, I was just allowed to tell you that they exist" Fate explain.

Harry gave a shuddering sigh "Is there anything else?"

"No, I had to call in a lot of favors to pull this off, and I also had to ask a favor or two of some higher beings" Fate placed his hand on Harrys shoulder and gave it a light squeeze "I know you will succeed, when you are ready, lie down next to him" Fate said pointing at the still sleeping Harry "and by morning you will know what he knows, Good luck Harry Potter" Fate said before simply fading away.

It wasn't long after Fate left that Harry took his place on the bed next to his sleeping copy. He didn't know how long he laid there staring up at the canopy top of the bed before he was suddenly standing seeing parts of a childhood he knew were not his own

He saw his counter-part being force to sleep in a closet under a set of stairs. He saw the starvation he was forced to endure and the physical labor he had to perform like some kind of slave. Then it was the abuse, emotional from the adults and physical from that mini-whale cousin and his friends.

The memories sped forward until they came to his Hogwart years. He witnessed his first meeting with the so-called best friend on the train and also meeting hid first crush Hermione on the train as well. He felt the awe struck feeling of crossing the Black Lake and seeing the castle for the first time. Au-Harry was struck dumb at what he saw his counter-part go through in his first year of school. First he was spotted lighted as the B.W.L by the entire school. Then he had to endure harassment from not only the albino Malfoy but from a teacher as well. AU-Harry was glad to his counter-parts bravery as he took on a full grown mountain troll to save a person he barely knew, and also taking on Quirrelmort for the Philosophers Stone.

He second year didn't start off on a high note, first missing the train and then allowing him-self to be talked into taking a flying car and crashing it into the Whomping Willow. Then being stalked by Lockhart and the entire schooling acting like he had the plague when they found out he was a parselmouth and being accused of being Slytherines heir. Once again AU-Harry put him-self on the line when the adults couldn't be counted on especially when Hermione was petrified. AU-Harry couldn't keep back the shocked gasp when he came across the memory of his counter-part fighting an ancient 60 Basilisk.

Third year was a hoot and a half, but relatively pain free unless you count being stalk by his half insane Godfather and attracting Dementors like some kind of buffet special. It was also during this year when his counter-part realized his feelings for Hermione were beyond friendship.

By the time AU-Harry got to the present school year and reviewed what had happened so far, he already had a mental list as to what he was going to do.

Fate apparently brought us to the night before the first task; his counter-part already had a strategy in mind he was going to call his broom and try to out fly the dragon_. 'I could work with that plan, I've been riding adult brooms since I was four years old, I can out fly and out maneuver a dragon…possibly.' _Harry thought inside his head _' I'm definitely going to need to shake off Ron "Dead Weight" Weasley, the guy was bringing his counter-part or should I say _me _down to his level of stupidity. Going to have to do something about Sirius, can't have that old dog out there on his lonesome after being locked up for so long. He was also going to have to do something about all his enemies that seem to walk around without a care in the world, especially within Hogwarts like Malfoy and Snape. I'll deal with them when the opportunity presents itself'_

"**Harry!"**

Harry came out of his own head to find him-self pinning someone beneath him, his vision was blurry and he realized his counter-part was still wearing glasses when he himself had gotten rid of his at 16. He squinted at the person beneath him but could only make out a mass of bushy brown hair, and then it hit him _'Hermione!' _his counter-parts best friend and secret crush Hermione Granger. "Hermione, what are you in my bed?" Harry asked

"I wouldn't be in your bed if you hadn't dragged me into it" Hermione said indignantly "It's almost time for the first task and no one had seen you come to breakfast or leave the castle so I came to check to see if you were still here. When I went to shake your shoulder, you flipped me onto the bed and had your wand at my throat" Hermione further explained "Can you let me up now?"

Harry released her and sat back on his knees, he reached over on the side table and picked a pair of black framed glasses. He watched as Hermione sat up with an exaggerated huff and try to smooth the front of her wrinkled shirt that Harry had laid across. She gave up trying to look presentable especially with only Harry there to witness it; she huffed again and fixed her chocolate brown eyes on Harry.

"Are you okay Harry, you didn't respond to me until I practically screamed in your face" Hermione said looking at him in concern.

Harry played it off with a wave of his hand "Just a little nervous, I didn't sleep much last night" Harry got off the bed and went to his trunk at the foot of the bed and grabbed his toothbrush and the uniform he was given as part of the tournament, he walked to the bathroom "How long do I have before the first task?" he asked over his shoulder.

"According to the schedule of events, the first task starts in an hour so you were supposed to be there 30 minutes ago" Hermione said as she heard the distinct sound of a toothbrush being put to use.

No more words were spoken between Harry and Hermione until Harry came out of the bathroom dressed in his champion uniform. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be" he said seriously. He was an accomplished wizard in his old life. He had been a mercenary for the majority of his life and had seen things that had shaken his belief that there was no such thing as pure evil, but in all his 50 years not once had he ever come upon a dragon with the sole intention of egging it on into a fight. He had full confidence in him-self as a wizard but he wasn't dumb.

Harry and Hermione walked out of Gryffindor Tower in complete silence, in fact the entire school seemed to be nothing but silence, and it appeared as though people couldn't wait for the spectacle of four teenagers fighting for their lives against full grown dragons. Harry and Hermione walked the winding path from the front gates to the stadium. Hermione was stealing nervous glancing at Harry while trying desperately to not ring her hands in worry.

Harry drew to a stop just before he entered the champion's tent; he turned to Hermione who had a puzzled expression on her face. "You know, in the movies, just before the gallant knight slays the evil dragon, he receives a kiss from a fair maiden"

Hermione's eyes widened and before she could utter or sputter Harry leaned in and claimed her lips. Aside from a muffled squeak Hermione completely froze upon contact. Harry let his lips linger for a moment before he pulled back. He looked into Hermione's surprised face and smiled crookedly at her and walked into the tent.

"Ms. Granger"

Hermione spun around at the Scottish voice that broke her out of her daze, she focused on her Head of House, who for once, did not have a stern expression on her face, she was actually smirking and Hermione knew right then that she had witnessed Harry's kiss. She could feel her face heating up as if she stuck her head over a pot of boiling water.

"Ms. Granger, I believe this area is for champions only, why don't you find a seat in the stands to cheer Mr. Potter on?" the Scottish Professor suggested still smirking at one of her most promising students.

"Yes, Professor, if you'll excuse me" Hermione muttered before dashing around Professor McGonagall.

Minerva watched her young lion go with a smirk on her face that blossomed into a full grin when Hermione was out of sight; she shook her head and thought about the 30 galleons she just won off Pomona, Filius and Hagrid.

**(Inside the champion's tent)**

As soon as Harry entered the tent he was the center of attention as all conversation ceased.

"Grand of you to join us Mr. Potter, you're only an hour late" Ludo Bagman said derisively "Now with all of our champions here we can get this tournament started." He said and turned to Barty Crouch Sr., who signaled all the champions to gather around him.

"The first task is a test of courage and tactics; your task is to retrieve a golden egg from the nest…of a dragon. You will be awarded points on a scale of one to ten; you will be awarded points on cleverness, style, magic and time. " Crouch said explained

Harry heard the obvious fake gasps of shock from his fellow champions seeing as how they all already knew that dragons were involved in the first task.

"Line up all of you and draw your opponent" Crouch said as he pulled a black sack from his robes and opened it up "Ladies first" he said and presented the bag to the French champion Fleur. Fleur reached in timidly, she pulled her hand out and timidly opened it to reveal.

"Ah the Welsh Green" Crouch said with a bit of fanfare.

Fleur was guided to the back of the tent by Madame Maxine and they appeared to be discussing strategy.

"Mr. Krum"

Krum didn't hesitate to put his hand in the bag, a second later he pulled out…

"The Chinese Fireball" was all Crouch could get out before Krum was quickly ushered away by his Headmaster Karkaroff.

Then it was Cedrics turn; he took a deep breath reached in and came back with…

"The Swedish Snort-snout…Oooh"

Cedric walked away with a little less color in his cheeks.

Harry reached into the bag without being asked knowing what awaited him…

"The Hungarian Horntail, Good luck Mr. Potter" Crouch said in sympathy.

Harry turned away not even acknowledging the man had said anything, his mind was racing a mile a minute as he thought up an all knew strategy for retrieving his egg. He smirked as he looked at the mini Horntail in his and came up with the perfect plan for retrieving his egg. Harry walked tom a quiet corner of the tent and sat down, he completely blocked the background noises of the other champions receiving last minute advice. Harry blocked out Ludo Bagman's loud voice pumping the crowd up. He was completely unaware of the other champion's successes or failures when they were each called up to perform their task.

Harry was brought back to himself when he heard his name called.

"**HARRY POTTER"**

Harrys name was met with an equal amount of cheers and jeers as he stepped into the make shift stadium. Harry kept his entire focus on the angry dragon before him; he took notice of the way it was already in an attack position in front of a nest full of what appeared to be real eggs and the golden one he was supposed to retrieve.

"Here he is folks our fourth champion!" Bagman said enthusiastically.

The mighty dragon reared its head back and thrust it forward, unleashing an unholy roar that Harry felt resonate throughout his body.

"Listen to that bellow, it appears as though this dragon does not want any visitors, even from Harry Potter" laughter echoed through the crowd of spectators at Bagman's commentary.

When Harry came closer to the beast it unleashed a powerful burst of flames from its throat hoping to cooked the intruder who dared to approach its nest. Harry stopped walking and threw up a _**Protego Shield **_but still felt the heat of the flames.

"Great Merlin, I can feel the heat even here at the announcers table, I can't imagine what Mr. Potter is feeling at the moment.

'_I feel like a microwave dinner!_' Harry thought to him-self. He would have most likely been cooked alive if the Horntail wasn't heavily chained to the wall of the enclosure. When the flame cleared and the dragon saw that its nest and territory was still being threatened it gave one more warning growl baring its razor sharp teeth.

Harry stopped just short of the center of the enclosure, he reached into his robes and first took out his wand from his pocket _'Note to self, get a wrist holster'_ he thought.

"It appears as if Mr. Potter is about to put his strategy into play, we're about to see why this young man was chosen as a fourth champion"

Harry ignored bagman and continued with his plan, he pulled from another pocket the mini-Horntail, it was still animated and blowing little fire balls in the air. Harry sat the mini dragon on the ground in front of him, he took a few steps back and then stabbed his wand at it _**"Engorgio!"**_ Harry exclaimed and then watched with a smile on his face as the mini dragon grew to match the size of the other Horntail.

Amidst the gasps and shocked silence that followed Ludo Bagman bellowed his thoughts "Merlin! Do you see that? I hope you know what you're doing Mr. Potter"

Even as Harrys own dragon grew, the nesting dragon let out a roar of challenge to the imposter, it scrabbled on its chain to get at its more worthy opponent. Finally it broke its chain just as Harrys dragon let out its own challenging roar and the two beasts collided together, in a mass of sharp teeth and claws.

The crowd got over their shock and became a mix of encouragement for the two fighting dragons and disbelief at they were beholding.

"In all my years I have never witness a spectacle quite like this before! What was Mr. Potter thinking as he came up with this idea? Speaking of Mr. Potter it appears as though we have lost track of him, I hope he's alright and not squashed in the earth beneath these two behemoths" Bagman said in fake concern.

Harry mean- while was under a _**Disillusionment Charm**_ and was already retrieving his egg. Harry turned back to the battle of draconic titans and waited patiently for the two beasts two clear out of his way so that he could end his turn. That opportunity came as the real dragon, and Harry could tell it was the real one because the broken chain was still around its neck, the real dragon who had apparently been pinned on its back underneath Harrys enlarged dragon used its back legs to kick the other dragon off of it. The real dragon then scrabbled to its feet and took momentary flight to go up and land heavily and squarely on the magical constructs back, not wasting a moment, it then savagely bit into the down dragons neck and stayed there until it stopped moving. With the magic broken, Harry's magically magnified dragon shrank back down until it was no more than what appeared to be a plastic toy.

Harry watched all this as he sidled along the edges and out of the enclosure. When he felt he was a good distance out of danger, he released the charm on him-self and held up his prize for all to see.

"Over in the entrance Harry has got the egg!"

Harry heard twin shouts of Fred and George Weasley.

The cheers were deafening as Harry walked away past the dragon tamers as they ran into the enclosure to corral the Horntail, but he still heard Ludo Bagman has he explained what they had all seen.

"Ladies and gentleman allow me to explain what you have just seen, before the start of the first task, each champion was asked to reach into a bag and draw out a miniature version of the dragon that they would be facing here today. It appears that Mr. Potter used an _**Engorgio **_on that miniature version of his dragon and then allowed the two to battle it out as a distraction, while he stealthily retrieved his golden egg from the nest. Genius Mr. Potter you're certainly going to make these older champions work to beat you, young man!" Bagman explained in an excited rush. "I have also just been informed that Mr. Potter finished his task in 7 minutes and 12 seconds; that has got to be a record!"

As Harry walked towards the champion's tent with his egg under his arm he was met half way there by the schools Meda-Witch, Madame Pomfrey.

"Mr. Potter, even though it seems you were unharmed everyone must be checked out after every task, please step into the tent" she said brusquely.

Harry simply nodded in acquiesce and followed behind her, 30 seconds later he was cleared and sent on his way. He was met outside by Professor McGonagall who told him she was tasked with escorting him back to the castle.

"That was a truly marvelous display of thinking Mr. Potter, if I were allowed to give house points, I would award you 100 for your creative thinking" she said as they made their way back.

"Thank you Professor, it just came to me when I saw the animated dragon spit fire, and then I thought why not fight fire with fire?" Harry said

"While I have you alone, I would like to inform you that as the host school Hogwarts will be hosting a Yule Ball and as a champion you will be expected to lead off the dancing with the other champions"

"That means, I need a date, doesn't it Professor?" Harry asked with a grin.

Minerva almost tripped on her robes as she saw the unnerving sight of Sirius Black's roguish on the face of James Potter. "Yes, Mr. Potter, that is exactly what that means" she answered dully

They walked the rest of the way in silence, and as they reached the foot of the stairs Professor McGonagall made an excuse to allow Harry to continue on his own knowing full well what awaited him behind the portrait of the Fat Lady. Harry knew what to expect as well and couldn't wait. From the memories he received he knew that they Gryffs could get pretty rowdy after a Quidditch win, he expected at least triple the celebration after surviving a dragon, even if he made it look easy.

Harry arrived at the top and gave the password to the Fat Lady as the portrait swung open he was blasted by cheers and dragged inside. He was hoisted up by Fred and George and paraded around the common room by his fellow lions.

"Not even dragons can stand before this mighty lion!" one of the twins boasted.

Harry looked around the room to all the raised cups and smiling faces until he came to the flustered red face of Hermione. He signaled for the boys to put him down and somewhere along his route to Hermione his egg was taken out of his hands and passed around the room. When he finally stood in front of Hermione she was completely flushed and refused to look him in the eyes.

"C..cc..Congratulations Harry, that was brilliant thinking" she stuttered

Harry said nothing, after a moment she finally looked at him and harry swooped in to claim her lips again amidst the wolf whistles and cat calls. This time it seemed Hermione was either prepared for it or hoping he would kiss her again because instead of freezing up she returned the kiss with a passion you wouldn't expect to see from the studious lioness.

Harry broke the kiss and smiled what Sirius used to call his "Closer Grin" and asked "Would you go to the Yule Ball with me?"

"Yes" she said huskily before she closed the distance between his lips and hers.

**AN: This idea just kind of popped up out of nowhere. I honestly don't know where the inspiration for this came from. Anyway it's here now so enjoy; now to clear up a couple of things let me explain. The story started with a Harry Potter from an alternate universe, there he was not the BWL, Neville was. The Harry Potter from alternate universe was raised by Sirius and Remus and went to a magical military school, the Pendragon School of War Magic. He was a wizard mercenary and died at 50 years of age on a mission. He has canon Harrys memories up until the night before the first task when he basically took over as the dominant personality. If you have read my previous stories you know I like powerful main characters, so don't be surprised when you see Harry pulling tricks you haven't seen before. To give you an idea of what I mean, AU-Harry, has been trained in magical combat since childhood and has been a wizard for hire most of his adult life so he knows a thing or two and is not lacking. Like I said before his main directive is eliminating Voldemort, everything else he does is just the cherry on top. I hope I explained clearly enough but if I didn't drop me a review or PM. I would like to hear from you. **


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